The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made explosive allegations, claiming that illicit funds generated from a massive coal smuggling syndicate in West Bengal were funneled through a complex hawala network to potentially influence elections. At the heart of the probe is a Rs 20 crore transaction that allegedly changed hands multiple times before reaching the political consultancy firm, Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), during the 2021-22 Goa assembly elections.
The Multi-Layered Hawala Chain
According to the ED's petition filed before the Calcutta High Court, the money trail was meticulously designed to erase its origins. The agency states that the chain began with a former director of a New Delhi-based non-banking financial company. This official contacted an individual identified only as Munna, instructing him to transfer the money.
Munna then connected with another operative in the hawala racket. From there, the funds were directed to the manager of a Kolkata-based hawala firm. In his statement to the ED, this manager revealed that he arranged for the cash to be physically available in Goa during the election period. This cash was intended for an employee of an event management company.
The event management employee subsequently coordinated with the director of his company and a sister concern. Both these firms were reportedly handling events and campaigns for IPAC in Goa at the time.
IPAC's Alleged Role and Raids
The ED's investigation points to Pratik Jain, co-founder and director of IPAC, as the person overseeing the consultancy's operations in Goa. Based on these findings, the federal agency conducted search operations at 10 different premises in Delhi and Kolkata on January 8.
One of the locations raided was the residence of Pratik Jain at Loudon Mansion. The searches were part of the ED's efforts to gather further evidence on the alleged movement of crime proceeds into the political campaigning ecosystem.
The Source: Bengal's Coal Smuggling Syndicate
The ED petition outlines the alleged origin of the funds. It claims a syndicate led by Anup Majee was involved in stealing and illegally excavating coal from the premises of Eastern Coalfields Limited in Bengal.
This illegally obtained coal was then sold to various factories and plants in districts including Bankura, Burdwan, and Purulia. Payments were allegedly made in cash by the factory owners, which were collected by syndicate members. The accumulated cash was then deposited at the syndicate's office in Bhamuria, run by Majee.
The ED alleges that the proceeds from this criminal activity were then laundered through both domestic and international hawala channels, with one such transaction ultimately reaching IPAC in Goa. The agency's probe continues to unravel the full extent of this alleged financial network.
